Apprentice
by sycoandcrazy.inc
Summary: Sequel to City Safari. Detective Files AU. Kuwabara wants to grow stronger, so he travels to the one place where he thinks he might find a teacher. But does Batman really want another sidekick?
1. On the Road Again

On the Road Again

Kuwabara did his best to hide his displeasure when Yusuke said he was going back to Makai for a visit. Had it been anyone else, they probably would have noticed something was wrong, but this was Yusuke. "Oh, yeah?" Kuwabara said. "Are you going by yourself?"

"Nah, it's no fun that way," Yusuke said. "Kurama got some leave from his stepdad's company, so I'm meeting up with him and Hiei."

Kuwabara did his best to fight down a pang of jealousy. It wasn't really fair of him to feel this way he knew; it wasn't Yusuke's fault that Kuwabara couldn't go to Makai, any more than it was Kurama and Hiei's fault that they could. It was just…sometimes Kuwabara felt so left out now that the three of them had something in common that Kuwabara could never hope to obtain. It wasn't like Kuwabara could just turn himself into a yokai.

Unless, you know, he wanted to turn into some sort of freak like Toguro, and that was not happening.

But sometimes Kuwabara wished he could turn himself into a yokai. Then the guys wouldn't be going on these special trips without him, they wouldn't have new inside jokes and stories that Kuwabara didn't understand, and they wouldn't make Kuwabara feel so utterly useless.

"How long will you be gone?" Kuwabara asked.

"Dunno," Yusuke said, packing up the last of his equipment. "At least a week, then Kurama has to go back to work. Hiei and I might stay longer though."

"Oh, okay," Kuwabara said. He forced a grin. "You'll have to get in a couple fights for me."

Yusuke laughed. "You know I will! I'll see you later, Kuwabara."

"See you," Kuwabara said as Yusuke started to roll his raman stand away, whistling a cheery tune.

Kuwabara trudged back home, his good mood ruined. When he arrived he found Yukina curled up on the living room couch watching TV. She looked up and smiled at him saying, "Welcome home, Kazuma."

She'd been living with the Kuwabara family for five years now, and most of the time Kuwabara was overjoyed that the love of his life was living in his house. Tonight was not one of those times; tonight her cherry red eyes, mint green hair, and the alien otherness about her that Kuwabara usually found enchanting only served as a reminder of a world he could never really be a part of.

"Hey," Kuwabara said, trying not to let his emotions show. "Are Dad and Shizuru around?"

"No, they're out," Yukina said frowning. She was far more perceptive than Yusuke was. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kuwabara said, which wasn't true at all, but his pride wouldn't let him confide in Yukina about this particular issue.

Kuwabara started to walk past her to his room, but suddenly he stopped and turned back towards her. "You're never going to care about me, are you?"

Kuwabara was shocked to have said that; he hadn't meant to. He'd never once given voice to his secret fears that over the years of pining for Yukina's love had developed within him. He rarely acknowledged those fears within his own thoughts. But they'd always been there, no matter how confident he'd acted, whispering he wasn't good enough, that Yukina could never possibly love him.

Yukina seemed just as surprised and flustered by his words as Kuwabara felt. "Of course I care about you!" she protested.

"But it's not the way I care about you," Kuwabara said his heart twisting inside him.

Yukina's face softened into a look of deep sadness. "No," she whispered. "Not like that."

Even though he'd known it was coming it still felt like a physical blow to hear her say those words. "Why not?" Kuwabara asked numbly. "Is it because I'm human?"

"No!" Yukina said sharply shaking her head. "It has nothing to do with you, Kazuma. I will never love anyone romantically. Love kills my people; love killed my mother. I am not willing to follow in her footsteps."

"What do you mean?" Kuwabara asked. "Love doesn't kill people."

Yukina sighed. "No, but childbirth does."

Kuwabara wanted to say if that was all that was holding her back than he would be willing to love her without ever touching her, but even as he thought this he could feel his heart clench at the idea of a life with no children. He'd always pictured himself having lots of children at some point in his future. He'd be willing to give up that dream for Yukina's love, but he could tell by the look on her face that it would be useless. She had already made up her mind and had no intentions of falling in love.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this," Yukina said, and Kuwabara could tell she truly meant it. "I had hoped you'd grow out of your feelings."

"Grow out of them!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "Yukina, I've been in love with you for eight years!"

Yukina's frown deepened. "Eight years is not so long…"

It wouldn't be to her, would it? Why should eight years seem so much when she'd live for centuries?

"Eight years is a long time for humans," Kuwabara said. If he only lived to be eighty, and that was possible, then he'd have spent one tenth of his life loving her. But she'd never understand that, since she refused to love.

"I'm sorry," she said again, and Kuwabara hated it that he could see tears in her eyes.

"Me too," he said, and turned away.

* * *

The next morning he left for his classes early in order to avoid seeing Yukina. He also didn't feel like talking to his father or Shizuru, who'd both want to know what was wrong. Kuwabara didn't feel up to talking to anyone right now.

_I feel so weak._

More than that, he felt alone, and Kuwabara hated it.

But he'd never been one to wallow in self-pity, and he'd always preferred action to thinking. So he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders as the train stopped near his college and he got off to walk the rest of the distance.

_Okay. So I feel weak. What can I do about that?_

The simple answer was get stronger. But it was one thing to say that and another thing to actually do it. Kuwabara was mostly self-taught as far as fighting and his powers went, and he wasn't sure he could get any farther by himself.

_Well, if I can't get any stronger on my own, then I need a master._

But who could train him? If Genkai were still alive he'd ask her, but she'd passed away not long after Yusuke's return from the Makai the first time. The only other really strong human Kuwabara knew of was Sensui, and even if he'd still been alive, Kuwabara certainly wouldn't have asked him. Kuwabara wouldn't even consider asking Yusuke, Kurama or Hiei for help.

_Who can I ask for help then?_

Kuwabara was still puzzling it out as he went to his classes. The answer came to him during his second class of the day when his professor introduced a guest speaker to talk about a foreign exchange program.

"It is an excellent opportunity for you students," the guest speaker said. "It is probably one of the least expensive times you'll manage to travel overseas, and the college we are doing the exchange with, Gotham State University, is one of the best colleges in the United States."

Kuwabara sat up straight at that. Gotham State University! That would be in Gotham City, where Batman lived!

It was a crazy idea; Kuwabara didn't know if Batman would even want another apprentice when he had Robin, and even if he was willing to take Kuwabara on as an apprentice Batman didn't have any spirit energy to speak of. But even without spirit energy, Batman's skills were impressive.

Anyway, Kuwabara didn't really have any other ideas about how to find a teacher, and the idea of not having to live at home and constantly be reminded of Yukina's rejection appealed to him.

"Now, American schools start at different times than we do," the guest speaker continued. "They start in August, so if you decide to go you won't have much of a break between when our term ends in July and their classes start, but that shouldn't discourage anyone from taking this opportunity."

It certainly didn't discourage Kuwabara. The sooner he could get out of Japan, the better.

* * *

Kuwabara brought up the idea of doing the foreign exchange program to his father that night.

"You want to go to America for a year?" Mr. Kuwabara exclaimed.

"It's a great educational opportunity," Kuwabara said. "And it doesn't cost much more than what I already pay to go to school."

Mr. Kuwabara looked dubious.

"Well, it wouldn't be much more than what I'd be paying if I lived on campus instead of commuting," Kuwabara amended. "Look, it's a good opportunity to expand my horizons, and it'll look great on a resume if I can say I've traveled overseas."

"I suppose," Mr. Kuwabara said reluctantly. "If this is really what you want to do. But I'll miss having you around."

"I'll miss you too," Kuwabara said.

Kuwabara was busy then, because he only had two months to get ready for his trip. He just hoped that Yusuke wouldn't stay in Makai for a long time and would come back before it was time for Kuwabara to leave.

Surprisingly, Yusuke did return after only a week in Makai. Kuwabara visited and told him the news.

"What?" Yusuke asked. "You're going away for a whole year?"

"Not really a year," Kuwabara said. "More like ten months."

"Close enough," Yusuke snapped. "Jeez, man, I can't believe you're going away to America."

Kuwabara shoved Yusuke. "You were in Makai for three years; I don't think you have any place to judge me."

"That was different!" Yusuke protested.

Kuwabara just rolled his eyes. "Right, 'cause it was what you wanted to do. Heavens forbid _I_ should want to go somewhere."

Yusuke frowned, looking oddly serious. "Hey, you're not really mad that I was in Makai so long?"

"Of course not," Kuwabara said, and he wasn't mad, exactly. It had just hurt, to feel so unimportant to Yusuke, to never be quite sure if he was dead or alive from day to day, to be so _alone._ His other friends meant a lot to him, they really did, and so did Kurama and Hiei, but none of them were _Yusuke_. Though he'd never say it out loud he thought of Yusuke as more of a brother than a friend, and sometimes it felt like Yusuke was growing beyond him.

But he'd never say anything like that to Yusuke, not unless under threat of death, and maybe not even then.

Yusuke let the subject drop, though he didn't seem convinced.

* * *

Time flew by, and it seemed like only days instead of two months passed between the time that Kuwabara had signed up for the program and it the time to leave. Everyone came to the airport to see him off.

"Do the Kuwabara name proud while you're over there, son," Mr. Kuwabara said, giving him a hug.

"I will, Dad," Kuwabara promised, fighting back tears. No way was he going to cry in front of his friends.

"Don't do anything stupid," Shizuru said.

"I make no promises," Kuwabara told her.

"We're going to miss you, Kuwabara," said Okubo. Kirishima and Sawamura nodded in agreement.

"Get in a fight for us, won't you?" Kirishima asked with a grin.

"You can count on it," Kuwabara said grinning in return.

"Good luck on your trip, Kuwabara," Kurama said.

Hiei, who looked especially grumpy at having been forced by Kurama and Yusuke to set foot in an airport again, simply said, "Don't get yourself killed over there."

Yusuke threw an arm around Kuwabara's shoulders. "If he did something that stupid, we'd just have to bring him back and kill him again ourselves, wouldn't we?"

Kuwabara shoved Yusuke away. "If anyone should be worried about getting killed, it's you! You're the one with the track record."

Yusuke laughed. "Guess you got me there."

Kuwabara turned to the last person who'd come to see him off then, Yukina. She was the only one who understood at least a part of his reason for wanting to leave; Kuwabara had never told anyone that Yukina had rejected him, and since no one else had brought it up he assumed Yukina hadn't said anything either.

She smiled sadly at him. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

What was that supposed to mean? Find someone else to love? Find the strength he so desperately wanted? Kuwabara wasn't sure.

"Yeah," he said. "Me too." He turned a little away from her and waved at the crowd. "Well, I'd better get on board the plane. I'll see everyone in May!"

Kuwabara boarded the plane and settled in his seat feeling a strange mixture of nerves, excitement and sadness. It was the beginning of a new chapter in his life, he could just feel it.

* * *

AN: Welcome to the third installment of my Detective Files series!

Okay, a few things that I feel I need to address right off the bat: first thing, the time line for this universe.

Jungle Excursion is set in July of year 01. I went with year 01 because I don't want to set this in our years. This should be a few months after the end of the YYH manga.

City Safari is six months later, so January of year 02.

In this story it's August of year 02 when Kuwabara gets to Gotham, making it seven months since he's seen Batman and Robin last.

If you're still confused about the time, let me know and I'll try to explain again.

Second thing, please don't kill me for the break up of Yukina and Kuwabara. I love them as a couple too. Just not for this story.


	2. Getting to Know You

Getting to Know You

Gotham State University had a surprisingly pretty campus, with old, Gothic style buildings, perpetually green lawns, and an atmosphere that felt very removed from the city.

Kuwabara was going to be living in Wayne Hall, which, his RA Joe informed him, was named after the richest family in Gotham, who over the years had donated lots of money to the college. "They got buildings named for them all over the place," Joe said. "Though, I suppose it's not really a family anymore; there's only Bruce Wayne left, and he isn't married yet. But he does have a ward, Dick Grayson, and he's your roommate."

"Really?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yep," Joe said. "He's cool though; I've met him before, and he's not stuck up or spoiled or anything."

"Well, that's good," Kuwabara said.

"Here's your room," Joe said. "Dick isn't supposed to move in until tomorrow, so you got it to yourself for today. Let me know if you need anything, Kaz." Upon being introduced, Joe had quickly shortened Kuwabara's first name to Kaz. Kuwabara didn't mind the nickname; he was just surprised at having gotten one so quickly.

Kuwabara took advantage of his time in the dorm alone to set up his stuff, which mostly consisted of clothes and some basic school supplies. Then he explored the campus and bought some of the books he'd need for classes from the bookstore. The day passed quickly and he was exhausted by the time he finally went to bed that night. But even when he lay down, he couldn't fall asleep easily. He found himself thinking about home and everything that would be going on there.

_Silly to be homesick; this is only my first night in America._

But silly or not, it didn't change the fact that he was homesick. He missed the familiarity of his home; his dad watching late night television, the faint smell of cigarette smoke that lingered at the house thanks to Shizuru, being able to sense Yukina's familiar presence down the hall. Those were things he wouldn't have again until May.

_Although, it's kind of a relief not to feel Yukina's presence._

That was one good thing; he wouldn't constantly be reminded of her rejection while he was here. At least, he hoped he wouldn't.

Kuwabara yawned and snuggled deeper under his covers. Now that he was in Gotham, the big question was how he was going to find Batman. He really doubted he'd have a sign on a door somewhere saying, "Batman's place" or something.

_Guess I can find him the same way we did last time. Show up at crime scenes._

Kuwabara had a feeling this was going to keep him very busy. Between school and hunting for Batman he probably wouldn't have any time for extracurricular activities, which was kind of a shame. Ah, well, he hadn't come for club activities. He'd come to find the Batman.

* * *

The next morning Kuwabara got up early since he wasn't sure when his new roommate was supposed to show up, and Kuwabara didn't want to be sleeping when he did. As it was, Dick Grayson didn't show up until nearly lunch time.

The door swung open and a young man walked in, loaded down with two suitcases and a duffel bag. He stood around Kuwabara's height, with black hair, bright blue eyes, and a ready smile. Upon seeing him, Kuwabara thought he looked vaguely familiar, and then it hit him who this guy was.

"You!" Kuwabara gasped, pointing a finger at him. It was the guy from the first time Kuwabara had come to Gotham, the one Rando had been torturing.

The guy looked startled by Kuwabara's reaction. "Me?" he asked.

Kuwabara hesitated for a moment, realizing he couldn't just blurt out the truth. The guy may or may not remember being tortured, Kuwabara wasn't sure what Batman's policy on erasing memories was or if Batman even could erase memories, but even if he did remember it wouldn't be something that Kuwabara should bring up. Besides, it was probably best if this guy didn't know that Kuwabara had been there, and spent his spare time battling yokai.

"You must be my roommate!" Kuwabara said lamely. "I'm so excited to meet you!"

_Gah, I sound like Botan. He must think I'm a weirdo._ Unfortunately, it was the best he could come up with.

Luckily he seemed to have a sense of humor, since he just grinned and said, "Yeah, I'm Dick Grayson. You must be Kazuma Kuwabara."

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Kuwabara said as they shook hands. "Need any help bringing your stuff up?"

"Sure if you don't mind," Dick said. Kuwabara followed him out of the hall and to his car which was parked on the road nearby.

Kuwabara let out a whistle when he saw the car. "Sweet ride," he said, admiring the dark blue convertible mustang.

"Thanks," Dick said. "I won't be keeping this long though; I prefer my motorcycle."

Kuwabara thought that was even cooler, and wondered if there was a way he could manage to go out on a ride on the motorcycle. He'd never ridden one before, and thought it'd be an awesome experience.

Between the two of them they managed to get the rest of Dick's stuff up in one trip. "Thanks for the help," Dick said again as they made it to their room.

"No problem," Kuwabara said, sitting on his bed so he'd be out of the way while Dick unpacked.

"So, you're an exchange student from Japan?" Dick asked. "That's what Joe said anyway."

"Yeah, I am," Kuwabara said.

"That's pretty cool," Dick said. "I've been to Japan once. Great food there."

"It is," Kuwabara said. "I think the food is one of the things I'm going to miss the most."

"Well, we've got some pretty good food here," Dick said. "There's this one diner I know that makes the best hamburgers. I mean, I'm sure you've had hamburgers before, but you haven't lived until you've tasted these burgers."

Kuwabara relaxed as he talked to Dick. It looked like he was really going to like his roommate, and the school year promised to be interesting.

* * *

When Dick took the mustang back to the mansion to trade it out for his bike, he made sure to stop by Bruce's home office to talk to him.

"So, guess who my roommate is this year?" Dick asked.

"Do I care?" Bruce replied, flipping through that day's newspaper.

"A foreign exchange student from Japan," Dick said, and suddenly Bruce's attention was focused on him. Dick grinned. "One Kazuma Kuwabara."

"You're kidding," Bruce said.

"Not even," Dick said, leaning against Bruce's desk. "He's here for the whole school year too. What a coincidence, huh?"

Dick realized his mistake when he saw Bruce's frown deepen. Bruce didn't believe in coincidences. "Oh, come on, you can't think he's here on some sort of nefarious plot."

"I don't," Bruce said. "But I do think he has to be here for a reason. The question is what."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Maybe to study?"

"Did he recognize you at all?" Bruce asked.

"Not as Robin," Dick told him. "But I'm pretty sure he recognized me as the guy Rando tortured though he's not saying anything."

And Dick definitely appreciated that. He'd recovered from the torture, but it wasn't something he liked to remember or talk about.

"Keep an eye on him," Bruce ordered. "And let me know if you notice anything strange happening around him."

Belatedly it occurred to Dick what Bruce might be worried about. "Wait, do you think he's here after another of those yokai?"

"It's possible," Bruce said.

"But if that was the case, wouldn't the others have come with him?" Dick asked. "And wouldn't he have come in a kind of less permanent manner than as an exchange student?"

"Depends," Bruce answered. "Koenma might want someone here permanently if they think more yokai will run here."

Dick sighed. "I guess if there's any place in the world where a bunch of people who think they aren't human might fit in, it'd be Gotham City."

* * *

During his first two weeks of school, Kuwabara didn't have time to go out searching for Batman. Between learning his schedule, getting a feel for his classes and workload, and attending the various orientation seminars that GSU had for exchange students, he didn't have time for much of anything. He did go off into the city a few times with Dick and some of his friends though, and they made it to that diner Dick had told him about.

Kuwabara wholeheartedly agreed with Dick's assessment of those hamburgers, and he doubted better hamburgers would be found anywhere else on the planet.

But this weekend Dick was going back to Wayne Manor to visit with his guardian, Bruce Wayne, because it was Labor Day weekend, and they had Monday off from their classes. Kuwabara intended to use this time to try to locate Batman.

He waited until it was starting to get dark Friday night before leaving his dorm, knowing based on all the newspaper articles he'd read that Batman rarely made an appearance during the day. Once he was off campus, Kuwabara hopped on a bus that would take him to the trashier part of Gotham, figuring if he found Batman anywhere that would be it.

He got off the bus and glanced around, surprised at the number of hard eyed people he could already see. _I guess it takes some kind of toughness to live in this area though, even if you aren't a criminal._

He'd only been walking a few minutes when a hand landed on his shoulder. "Hey there." Kuwabara glanced back to see a woman with bleached blonde hair, brown eyes, too much make up and not enough clothes smiling up at him. "I haven't seen you around before; how about you spend some time with me?" She winked at him. "I promise it'll be fun."

Kuwabara was momentarily confused, until it hit him what she was offering. He could feel his face flush beet red as he tried to figure out a polite way out of the situation. "Sorry," he said, "I don't think I can afford you."

She laughed and pressed closer to him. "For you, I'd make a special discount."

Looking down at her from this close, Kuwabara suddenly realized that she was actually younger than the lighting and make-up made her look. _She can't be more than sixteen._

A surge of protectiveness rushed over him. No woman should be forced into prostitution, whether by a person or simply circumstances of life, as Kuwabara saw things. He believed firmly that if men would just stand up and start being men, real men, that no woman would ever need to be a prostitute for money, and certainly no girl this young.

"Look, I'm not going to hire you," Kuwabara said frankly, "but I would be willing to take you over to that diner over there and buy you something to eat for dinner."

She stepped back from him, suddenly suspicious. "What are you, a cop or some kind of religious nut?"

"No," Kuwabara said. "I'm not really religious, and if I was a cop I'm pretty sure I could've arrested you already. I'm just a guy willing to buy you dinner."

She hesitated for a moment, but in the end her suspicions won out and she dashed off into the night.

Kuwabara sighed and kept walking. As he walked through the streets, people who saw him looked at him suspiciously, or simply looked suspicious, but Kuwabara saw no evidence during this time of Batman being around.

_It's nearly midnight; I guess I should have known finding him wouldn't be this easy._

Kuwabara wondered if he should stick it out for another hour or two or go ahead and start making his way back to the college. While considering, he heard a noise and glanced behind to see a dark figure duck out of sight in an alley.

_Looks like I'm being followed._

And it would seem that he'd be able to keep his promise to Kirishima sooner than expected. Kuwabara pretended ignorance of his stalker, eventually turning down an empty side alley where he bent down, pretending to tie his shoe. The shadow lunged at him, and Kuwabara whirled around and caught him with a punch to his stomach, doubling the man over and causing him to drop the knife he'd been carrying.

"Buddy, you picked the wrong person to mug," Kuwabara said.

The mugger, apparently not eager to rob someone who could fight back, tried to stagger away but Kuwabara caught him by the collar and hit him again, knocking him out this time. Kuwabara let his body drop to the pavement. "Yeah, it's probably time to head back," Kuwabara said.

And he should probably spend the next day trying to figure out a less time consuming way of finding Batman.


	3. Night Shift

Night Shift

"Hey, Bruce," Dick said late Friday night, or, more accurately, early Saturday morning, after they'd returned from patrolling Gotham's streets together. "Do you mind if I invite Kazuma over Monday?"

Bruce glanced over at him, still in full Batman gear. "Why?"

Dick shrugged. "I just kind of feel bad for him. I mean, since its Labor Day weekend, most people on campus took off to go home, so he's pretty much stuck there by himself. Seems like a crummy way to spend a holiday."

Bruce shrugged. "If he wants to come, then fine."

"Does this mean we will be celebrating the holiday, Sir?" asked Alfred, who'd been waiting in the Batcave for them as usual.

"We should," Dick said. "We can go traditional and have a cookout by the pool and everything."

Bruce glared at him. "How many people are you inviting over again?"

"Only Kazuma; don't worry, I'm not throwing a party," Dick said. He grinned and joked, "You throw enough of those yourself."

Bruce didn't bother to answer; he wasn't very chatty in Batman mode usually. He went over to the computer to work on something. Dick didn't particularly care what at the moment.

He yawned and stretched. "Don't work too late. I'm hitting the hay."

"Shall I wake you in time for lunch, Master Dick?" Alfred asked.

"I'd appreciate it, Alfred," Dick called as he left the Batcave.

* * *

Batman ignored Alfred's presence behind him until the butler spoke. "Going through the files again, Sir? I thought you had them memorized by now."

"I just can't figure out what he's after," Batman said. It was annoying. He was supposed to figure out everything.

"Perhaps, Sir, you may want to try simply asking him?" Alfred suggested.

Batman paused and looked at him.

Alfred shrugged. "You have worked together twice in the past. He may simply be willing to tell you."

What Alfred said made sense, but the way he said it made Batman feel foolish. Batman shut off the computer. "Fine. I'll pay a visit to him tonight."

"Shall I wake you for lunch, as well, Sir?" Alfred asked, about as close as Alfred ever got to ordering him to bed.

Batman sighed as he shrugged out of his costume. "That'll be fine, Alfred."

Alfred didn't smile, but his eyes twinkled. "Very good, Sir."

* * *

Kuwabara was surprised and pleased to receive a phone call from Dick on Saturday. "Hey, what's up?" Kuwabara asked.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come over on Monday for a cookout and some time at the pool since its Labor Day and all," Dick said.

"Sure," Kuwabara said. "That'd be great! It's a little weird on campus with no one around."

"Cool," Dick said. "I'll come get your around elevenish then?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kuwabara said and they hung up. It occurred to Kuwabara that this might be his chance to ride on Dick's motorcycle. "Sweet! Please drive your bike, Dick, please!"

It was difficult for Kuwabara to concentrate on his homework then, but he did his best. If he was going to Dick's house on Monday there'd be no way he'd get any work done then.

The day dragged by, and finally it was evening. Kuwabara leaned back in his chair. "So, how am I going to try and find Batman tonight?"

It could take weeks to find him by just wandering around the bad parts of Gotham, Kuwabara had realized that the night before. He had to do something that would give him a higher probability of success than that.

"Maybe I should see if there are any big events happening, like with government officials and stuff," Kuwabara said, thinking out loud. "If there are Batman might hang around them to make sure there aren't any attacks on the people there."

It was probably a good idea for the future, but it wouldn't help him find Batman tonight. Kuwabara sighed. "Guess I'm going to be wandering the streets again tonight. I wonder if someone else will try and mug me."

He hoped not, but after seeing the streets the night before it wouldn't surprise him. A sudden breeze brushed against his skin causing Kuwabara to glance over at his window. The unexpected sight of Batman crouched on his window sill actually made Kuwabara fall out of his chair in surprise.

"Ow," he said, pushing himself up with one hand and rubbing his head with the other. Batman was already in the room, and Robin had followed close behind.

"That looked like a nasty spill," Robin said. "You okay?"

"I've had worse," Kuwabara replied. "What are you two doing here?" He was too surprised at seeing them to immediately bring up his request.

"I could ask you the same thing," Batman said. "Last time you were in Gotham it was because of a deranged yokai. Why are you back?"

Kuwabara blinked. "Oh, no, there's no yokai this time! At least, none that I know of," he amended. "I actually came because…Well…I wanted to…"

Batman just watched, unblinking and unmoving.

Gathering up his courage, Kuwabara bowed formally and asked, "Batman, will you take me on as your apprentice?"

There was a moment of silence, and then, "No."

Kuwabara was startled by the flat out refusal; he'd at least expected Batman to ask why Kuwabara made such a request. "Wait," Kuwabara said as the duo made to leave. "Won't you at least consider –"

"No," Batman said again, and then he and Robin jumped out the window and were gone. Kuwabara stared out into the night where they had vanished and his hands clenched into fists.

"I'm not giving up," he said. He grabbed a light jacket to ward off the cool night air and marched out of the building. He didn't know how he'd find Batman, or how he'd convince him to take Kuwabara on as an apprentice. But at the very least, he knew Batman was out tonight.

* * *

"I can't believe he came to ask you to teach him," Robin said.

Batman was surprised as well. In all the scenarios he'd come up with, this had never been one of them.

"You'd think that group he works for would have trainers for him," Robin said.

It would certainly only make sense for their organization to train their employees, especially when they had them fighting people they thought weren't even human as young as fourteen years old. Granted Robin had started coming out with Batman at a younger age than that, but he'd been well trained and Batman had been selective about the battles Robin fought when he was that young.

_But Kuwabara and Yusuke fought Rando when they were fourteen._

Batman frowned. He hadn't really thought about that before. He paused on their current rooftop and considered the implications of the situation.

He knew from what the four had told him that Rando had one hundred different powers. He was a sadistic madman, and skilled enough to kidnap Robin out of an airport in broad daylight, and mange to keep him imprisoned, no easy feat in and of itself.

Batman also considered what he knew of Kuwabara's abilities. The only power Batman had seen him use was that glowing energy sword, as well as some sort of psychic sensitivity. From what Batman had observed of his fighting style, Kuwabara was a street fighter, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Good street fighters were dangerous, and Kuwabara was certainly good. But this was Kuwabara now. Minus eight years so he was fourteen and weaker than now, and put him in a fight against Rando, who was just as powerful then as he was now.

"They sent him on a suicide mission," Batman growled. Batman had put Robin in dangerous situations before, and there had certainly been times when the young man could have died. That came with the territory. But he'd never, ever, put him in a situation like _that,_ where death was all but guaranteed_._

"What?" Robin asked.

"Yusuke and Kuwabara fought Rando at fourteen," Batman said. "They were weaker then than they are now, while Rando was just as powerful."

Robin rocked back on his heels. "Oh, wow. I didn't think about that." He paused for a moment. "If they were willing to do that…do you think it's possible that Kazuma hasn't been trained?"

Batman didn't like to think so. Not training Kuwabara, or anyone expected to go up against threats as dangerous as Rando, would be unbelievably stupid. Surely any organization doing things like that would train their agents. But as Batman thought more about Kuwabara's style of fighting, he had to admit there were no signs that he could think of to show that Kuwabara had ever been trained by anyone, and if their organization didn't train their agents, that would explain why Kuwabara had come to him of all people to seek training.

"I don't think he has been," Batman said.

Robin shook his head in disbelief. "How did he manage to survive?"

Luck most likely.

"Does this change anything?" Robin asked.

Batman frowned. He didn't need another sidekick. He didn't particularly want another sidekick either. But thinking about the situation Kuwabara was in, it almost seemed criminal to say no.

"We'll see," Batman said.

* * *

Kuwabara had opted against taking the bus in favor of just walking the streets. He'd been wandering for nearly two hours when he heard a rumble and felt the ground shake beneath his feet.

"What was that?" he wondered out loud. Some pedestrians on the sidewalk started yelling and pointing with wide eyed horror. Following their gazes, Kuwabara saw smoke billowing into the skies a few streets over.

Without bothering to think about it, Kuwabara took off running towards the smoke. Obviously something bad had happened, and there might be people that needed help. When Kuwabara made it to the street he saw that some building had been blown up, and the explosion had caused several multiple car pile ups, and people were running around in total disarray.

Looking around, Kuwabara noticed movement on a nearby rooftop. Looking up, he saw the figures of Batman and Robin, fighting a man with green hair and dressed in a purple suit. Kuwabara guessed he must have been the one who'd blown the building up. But he had no time to pay attention to their fight, as there were still lots of people on the ground that needed help, and while sirens were wailing in the distance, there weren't any cops or ambulances there yet.

Kuwabara dashed over to the nearest car and looked inside. There was a man slumped over unconscious at the wheel bleeding heavily from an injury to his head and two children in the backseat who look frightened, but unharmed. Kuwabara tried the door, but it had been smashed in during the wreck and wouldn't open.

"Move back!" Kuwabara yelled to the oldest child who was watching him with wide eyes. Instantly the boy scooted over to the other side of the car and wrapped his arms around his sister. Kuwabara tore a sleeve off of his jacket and wrapped it around his hand to protect it, and then smashed through the car window. Kuwabara leaned in the window and held his arms out to the kids. "Come on, I'm getting you out of here!"

"But our dad," the boy started.

"I'll get him next, I promise," Kuwabara said.

The boy pushed his sister over to Kuwabara, and Kuwabara carefully lifted her out of the car, mindful of the glass. Then he lifted the boy out and set him down by his sister. "Go over there out of the way and I'll get your dad," Kuwabara said.

The boy nodded and grabbed his sister's hand, pulling her over to the sidewalk. Kuwabara turned back to the car. There was no way he'd be able to drag the man out through the window; he'd have to get rid of the car door somehow. Kuwabara took hold of the door and yanked with all his strength. It popped free of the car suddenly, making Kuwabara stumble back. He tossed the door to the side and reached in the car, yanking the man's seat belt off.

"I got 'cha," Kuwabara grunted as he dragged the unconscious man out of his car. By the time Kuwabara pulled him out ambulances, cops and firefighters had arrived. "Come on, kids!" Kuwabara called to the children. The two ran over to him, and followed as Kuwabara carried the man to the nearest ambulance. Paramedics immediately relieved Kuwabara of his burden.

"Are you hurt?" one of them asked Kuwabara.

"I'm fine," Kuwabara said, and then he plunged back into the chaos, seeing if there was anyone else trapped who needed help.

There was an ominous groan, and Kuwabara looked over and saw that the parts of the building that were still standing were starting to fall, and heading straight towards some firefighters who were trying to put out the blaze. Kuwabara put on a burst of speed and managed to knock the firefighters out of the way just before the flaming debris hit the ground where they'd been standing.

"Thanks," one of the firemen said. "Now you'd better get out of here."

"Right," Kuwabara said, though he had no intentions of doing so until he was sure everyone else was safe.

Kuwabara moved back out into the street, looking to see if there was anyone else who could use his help, but at this point it looked like the cops and paramedics had things pretty well under control. "Guess I can head out," Kuwabara said.

He moved out of the street and headed down an alley to get out of the way as quickly as possible. But when he turned down the alley he unexpectedly found himself face to face with the purple suited man Batman and Robin had been fighting. Up close Kuwabara could see that the man didn't just have odd taste in clothing and hair color; he'd also done his face up to look like a clown. Suddenly Kuwabara recognized him from newspaper articles he'd read; this man was the criminal known as the Joker.

"Bad luck for you, kid," Joker said before Kuwabara could recover from his surprise. He reached up and touched a flower on his suit lapel, and a noxious green gas sprayed Kuwabara's face.

Kuwabara stumbled back coughing as the fumes burned his nostrils and made it hard to breath. The gas cleared, and Kuwabara saw Joker running down the alleyway. "Oh no you don't," Kuwabara growled and dashed after him, knocking him down with a flying tackle. They landed hard, knocking the Joker out.

Kuwabara rolled off of him and got to his feet. He wasn't sure what that gas was supposed to do, but he felt a bit lightheaded, which probably wasn't a good sign.

A dark shadow landed in the alley startling Kuwabara until he realized it was just Batman and Robin. "Hey, you caught the Joker," Robin said.

"Not on purpose," Kuwabara said. "I didn't realize he was here." A giggle slipped out unexpectedly. Why was he laughing? There wasn't anything funny about the situation.

Batman looked at him sharply. "Did he spray you with something?"

"Yeah," Kuwabara said, trying to bite back a foolish and entirely inappropriate grin. "He got me with some kind of gas." His shoulders started shaking with repressed laughter and all of a sudden he couldn't hold it back anymore. Kuwabara doubled over laughing, leaning against the wall for support.

Robin was by his side then, pulling him up. "Come on, Kuwabara. We'll get you some help."

Kuwabara leaned on him, unable to stand by himself anymore because he was laughing so hard. Every attempt to suppress his laughter only seemed to make things worse. He wasn't sure how much time went by like this, or where exactly Robin was taking him.

Eventually Kuwabara felt the prick of a needle on his arm, and then the laughter finally subsided. His chest and stomach ached from all the time he'd spent uncontrollably laughing. Kuwabara opened his eyes and was finally able to take stock of where he was. He was lying on a hospital bed, Robin and Batman leaning over him, but he definitely wasn't in a hospital.

He was in a giant cave.


	4. One of Us Now

One of Us Now

"Um, where are we?" Kuwabara asked.

"Welcome to the Batcave," Robin said with a grin. "It's sort of our headquarters. We had to bring you here to get an antidote for the Joker Venom. Normally we keep an antidote on us, but we had to use it on some people Joker sprayed before he blew up the building."

"Oh," Kuwabara said sitting up. "Um, thanks for that. I never knew laughter could be so painful."

"Yeah, Joker Venom is nasty stuff," Robin said. "It kills people if they get exposed to too much of it."

Curious, Kuwabara looked around at the cave. It was huge, one corner holding a giant computer, a training area in another, and lab equipment in yet another. There was also an area dedicated to what looked like an odd collection of souvenirs, including a giant penny. He could also see a sweet looking car and a jet.

"I've reconsidered your request," Batman said, effectively gaining Kuwabara's full attention. "I've decided to train you, under one condition."

"What's that?" Kuwabara asked nervously.

"I want you to tell me everything you know about the organization you work for," Batman said.

Kuwabara hesitated. He wasn't really supposed to talk about Spirit World business…But with the barrier down between the human world and Makai, more and more yokai were crossing over, and slowly people were starting to find out about yokai. So far most humans still didn't believe in them, but eventually their existence would be impossible to ignore, and that would surely lead to people finding out more about Spirit World as well. Batman would simply be one of the first to know.

Kuwabara rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I can agree to that. People are going to be figuring out yokai exist within the next couple of years anyways, so it doesn't really hurt anything for you to know first. It's a long story though."

"I always keep late nights," Batman said, sitting down in a chair.

"Well, it started eight years ago, when Urameshi died," Kuwabara said.

* * *

It took until the wee hours of the morning for Kuwabara to finish telling his story, which had been fascinating to listen to. It did make Batman feel a little better to know that Kuwabara hadn't actually been sent on the mission to take down Rando, or on the next mission to the Maze Castle place. He'd just sort of stumbled into those things. Batman still didn't approve of Yusuke having been sent on them however, especially once Kuwabara had told him about the Spirit Defense Force. Why couldn't they have gone on these missions?

But even if Spirit World hadn't purposely sent Kuwabara on these missions, it didn't change the fact that no one had trained Kuwabara after the fact. Granted his teammates had helped train him for a month before that whole Dark Tournament fiasco, but considering the years that Batman had put into his own training and into training Robin, he didn't consider a month's work to be very effective.

_Koenma is an idiot._

How could he not train all his operatives, especially one with as much potential as Kuwabara showed? Batman was astounded by the various creative ways Kuwabara had adapted his power over the years, and was especially impressed by the fact that Kuwabara had a sword that could _cut through dimensions._ Batman didn't even want to think about the ways some major criminals would abuse a power like that.

But Batman didn't say any of this to Kuwabara. No need for him to know that Batman was impressed. Batman stood from his chair and said, "If you are being trained by me, then you must follow all of my rules."

Kuwabara straightened. "Of course."

"First, my word is law. I want no arguments, and no questions; if I give you an order you do it."

Kuwabara nodded.

"You will never abuse the things I teach you. If I find out you have, then you will not continue as my apprentice. You will never reveal who you are while working for me; if you revel your secret identity to anyone, including your friends in Japan, then you will no longer be my apprentice."

"Wait, I can't tell the guys about this?" Kuwabara asked. "They're my friends! And what do you mean, secret identity? Am I supposed to wear a mask or something?"

Batman was unmoved. "The only way to keep a secret safe is to never tell it. They probably wouldn't willingly betray you, but you will not be allowed to take that risk. You will be in costume when we go on missions so no one will know who you are."

Kuwabara seemed to wilt a little at that. "The costume thing isn't really my style…"

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Then I can't teach you."

Kuwabara sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll wear a costume."

"Don't look so down about it," Robin said. "The costume is important. We make a lot of enemies doing what we do. If they knew who we really were, they'd target people we care about to get at us. The mask isn't to protect ourselves; it's to protect everyone else."

"That makes sense," Kuwabara said. He looked back to Batman. "Anything else?"

"Your grades are also important," Batman said. "If you fall behind on your school work, training stops until you pull them back up. That's all."

Kuwabara gaped at him. "Seriously? I'll get in trouble for bad grades?"

"Oh, he's serious," Robin grumbled.

Kuwabara sighed. "Okay then. I think I can handle that. Um, does this mean I'm going to find out who you two are?"

Robin looked at Batman curiously, and Batman considered this. It would make things simpler if Kuwabara knew, especially with Batman needing to train him, but Batman's knee-jerk reaction to this was to say no. He didn't like to tell anyone who he really was.

"Not yet," Batman finally said. He turned on his heel and walked away then. He really hoped that taking Kuwabara as an apprentice wouldn't turn out to be a mistake.

* * *

"Welcome to the team," Robin said after Batman left.

"Thanks," Kuwabara said.

"I guess this means we need to think of a name for you," Robin said. "How about Batboy?"

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Kuwabara said. He didn't like the idea of the word 'boy' in his codename.

"You could always be the Flying Mouse," Robin suggested.

"No."

"How about Red Robin?" he suggested with a grin.

"That sounds like I'm your sidekick," Kuwabara protested.

"Orange Giraffe?"

Kuwabara glared. "Are you even trying?"

Robin laughed. "How about Nightwing?"

Kuwabara considered then shook his head. "Nah. Doesn't sound right to me."

"Really? I actually like that one," Robin said. He thought some more. "Blue Falcon?"

"Definitely better than the Flying Mouse," Kuwabara said. "Hm, Blue Falcon. I like it."

Robin grinned. "It's settled then. Welcome aboard, Blue Falcon. Now I'd better get you back to your dorm."

Kuwabara glanced at his watch and groaned. It was already four in the morning. He was going to crash as soon as he got back to his dorm. "Are all your nights this late?"

"Quite a few," Robin said. "You'll get used to it."

Robin led him to what had to be the sweetest motorcycle Kuwabara had ever seen. Robin tossed him a helmet and said, "Hop on."

Kuwabara grinned as he put the helmet on. This certainly made up for his lack of sleep. Well, this and the fact that he was going to be a superhero in training.

A giddy thrill went through him as he thought about it. He'd achieved his goal; Batman was going to train him, and part of that training required Kuwabara to act as a _superhero_. He wished he could tell Yusuke and the others about it.

Maybe he would once the school year was over and he went back to Japan. After all, he wouldn't be working for Batman anymore then, so the rules would no longer apply.

Kuwabara grinned under the helmet. _This is going to be awesome._

* * *

Dun-na-na-na-na-na-na-na BLUE FALCON!

So yeah. Kuwabara just totally became Batman's sidekick. Have I mentioned I love what we can do with fanfiction? No? Because I do.

Well, that ends this section of DF. I'm not sure what story will come next. Probably some random oneshots about training and missions and stuff.

And no, I haven't forgotten the whole 'human DNA' plot thread. It'll come up again, but probably not until Yusuke and Co. come to visit Kuwabara during his Christmas break. Don't ask me when this will come out. Based on my workload this semester and the fact that next month is NaNoWriMo, probably not until I'm on _my_ Christmas break at the earliest.


End file.
